The Hero and Junkie
by eccentric petite fleur
Summary: They stood at the opposite ends of the moral spectrum but they met halfway. They learned that the price of love was the ache after leaving and being left. Warning: abuse, drugs, cutting, alcohol and sex. Romerica. Amerimano.


_**Hero – Part 1**_

Alfred F. Jones was a young man who had dreams of becoming an Air Force pilot. Inside the metallic bird, he soars through the vast blue sky. He will be the best pilot and his uniform will be lined-up with several medals of different shapes and sizes. There will also be stripes that will differentiate him from the others.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones were very supportive of their son's plight.

All in all they were a happy family.

_**Junkie – Part 1**_

Lovino Vargas was a man who had no passion about the world. He was like a bamboo that swayed to the wind's direction.

His parents lost their hopes that the boy will man up and bear the responsibility of being an adult.

When his parents gave-up on him, he wandered around the neighborhood. The lack of parental care and affection led him to what his parents would have called _wrong sort of people_.

Lovino had his first weed when he was fifteen.

_**Hero – Part 2**_

Alfred was an only child and his parents showered him with overflowing affection but they knew when was the moment to scold the child for doing something foolish.

Alfred knew that deep down his parents loved him but sometimes the punishments became unbearable.

When the little blond boy was seven, he broke the favorite vase of his mother. He was scolded for a full-hour and he was made to kneel on the salt scattered on the floor. The small boy had to hold out his hands and three volumes of a thousand-paged encyclopedia was put on top. He had to do it for a whole hour.

When the boy was no longer a boy but a pubescent, he snuck out of the house one night and used his father's car. At that time, he was still a novice with the vehicle and he got into an accident. After his discharge in the hospital, his father beat him with a belt to the point where he almost passed out from the pain. He was also locked inside the closet for two days without any meal or drink.

However after every scolding, his parents would explain why he was punished. He also receives a hug and a kiss after he says that he repented for his actions.

All in all, it was like just another family.

_**Junkie – Part 2**_

Lovino looked a lot like his father – brown hair, hazel eyes and sun kissed skin. The boy knew that he was a stunner to the ladies and he could get inside of them after a few words that contained promises of pleasure and _false _love.

He was sixteen when he first had sex and his first encounter with heroin. His partner had coaxed him to grow out of the withered green leaf and try harder stuff.

Before he turned seventeen, the youth overdosed with the powdery white substance. Neither his mother nor father came to pick him up at the hospital or took care of the hospital bills and whatnot paperwork.

Luckily his younger brother was there to help him.

But the boy who was three years younger could not yet comprehend why his older brother went to the hospital when there were no physical wounds. It baffled him but he did not ask for the fear of being the object of Lovino's anger.

The chauffer brought the siblings back home.

Mr. and Mrs. Vargas waited at the foyer of the house. They greeted the boys with equal enthusiasm.

That day, Lovino realized that he was _unloved_ because despite his recklessness, neither parent scolded him and corrected him of his behavior. He will never know the warmth of a parents' love after being scolded.

When he was inside his bedroom, it was the first time he let a razor blade slide through his dark skin. The metallic object flitted like the butterfly but left behind a gash that was oozing with the river of life.

**The Hero**

The last year of high school was not heaven. The students were trying to make impressive college applications to astound the admissions officer of their chosen university. The sports-oriented or the so-called _jocks_ try to make a last minute or rather last season, incredible game of their sport to get a chance for a possible scholarship.

Alfred sighed as he read the letter of acceptance to West Point. All that will be needed will be the medical examination and a series of tests. At this point in his life, he was having doubts about his dreams. As a child, he would pretend to be a pilot, carrying a small imitation of one of the country's fighter planes while running around the house. He…

The American's blue eyes caught sight of a familiar person. _Lovino Vargas_. The other youth was the talk of the school's gossip mill. According to the rumors, he had deflowered more than half of the freshmen and had an affair with the English teacher. The Spanish and French teachers are rumored to have the _hots_ for the student in question. What makes the news shocking was all the teachers were males.

Alfred just watched in the distance as the brunet opened his locker and several love and hate letters poured down. The blonde's locker was at the opposite end of the hallway and everyday this was the scenario. What followed next would be a series of curses varying between Italian and English.

"Wow, it must be snowing in the tropics…"

The American couldn't help but it say it out loud as the Italian just left his locker after getting his notebooks and books. The letter piled one after another on the floor. There were no cusses, no strange stares from other students directed at the brunet. Just like that, everyone went to their respective classes when the bell rang.

What made Lovino Vargas a familiar face to the brunet was that they were classmates since freshmen year in English and occasionally P.E. and this year they were classmates with a language elective. Alfred found it unfair that an _Italian_ but taking up _Italian_ as an elective. It was a path for an easy-A.

Classes went on and Alfred didn't bother to fully focus on his subjects. In his mind, there were no names of the subjects they were just first period, then second period… then third period.

Third period was special because it was the language elective. This subject will be the first encounter with Lovino Vargas, followed by fourth period which was English, another subject with the third-generation immigrant.

Although Alfred only knew Lovino through-face, meaning their conversations were limited to school stuff, he knows the younger brother, Feliciano. Both met last summer when the younger student got lost. The American was kind enough to show the junior around the school: the admissions office, the principal's office, etc. etc. During the short time, they exchanged things about themselves. That was how the golden boy knew that Lovino was a third-generation immigrant. Sometime the two hang-out along with a Japanese common friend.

"Hey Jones, let me copy your assignment…"

"…"

"Thanks man."

Well, there was also another routine to Alfred's life. At the start of the period, his seatmate would copy his assignment.

"Why don't you do it?"

"It's a bother. Besides, I can make last minute corrections to your work."

There was an irony to the situation, Alfred always tell himself, since the seatmate who was copying was none other than Lovino Vargas who was both fluent in Italian and English. This started two months ago when the brunet was late for class (and stoned) elbowed him for his assignment. Since Alfred didn't say no after that incident, apparently for the immigrant, it was okay to maintain the habit.

Well, Lovino does correct my errors… was what Alfred would tell himself when his notebook will be returned.

This routine does not happen in their English class since they were several seats apart and the teacher was a straight-laced Englishman who would slash his stick on the table if he sees anyone who cheats or looks like one.

Throughout the day, that will be the only time that Alfred talks with Lovino. It couldn't even be considered as a decent conversation. After English was the coveted lunch break and both men took separate ways. During the afternoon, there was no chance that they would be seeing each other because they were engaged in different sports.

Alfred was into baseball while Lovino was into soccer. The playing fields were at the opposite sides of the campus.

Two months later, during the week before the senior's ball which is an event dedicated for those leaving the halls of high school and entering the world of adulthood, the school was in a great buzz. The younger students were vying to be a date for the graduating class. The committees for the event were busy planning and setting-up the school's gymnasium for the event.

Amidst the bumbling busyness, Alfred found himself in one of the school's old buildings, lazily sitting down.

The school spanned several hectares of land; before the school expanded to its current state, the older buildings were colloquially knows as _old campus_, this was the part of the school that existed before the Second World War. Instead of dismantling the buildings using bulldozers and other forms mechanical equipment, they were left for ruin; waiting for the day they would crumble and be reclaimed back by the earth.

Students hardly go to the old campus. The people who came here were usually those who had homework about ecological systems or some-science related topic. Sometimes, students came here for a _quick fuck, _away from the eyes of the teachers and other morally uptight beings.

Alfred didn't fall to either category. He was inside what used to be an auditorium. The leather upholstery has been long gone through time and what remained were chairs that didn't resemble its former glory. What made Alfred go all the way to such remote place was his… well, he didn't know what label to use with his and Lovino's relationship.

"_Let's go out Jones. You're not dating anyone and I'm not dating anyone."_

"_!"_

"_Come on now…"_

_Blue eyes dilated at how close the face of the other was. Compared to the Caucasian complexion of the American, the person in front of him was colored like the rich bountiful earth. The other's eyes reflected specks of green or brown, like the forests' trees. Those hazel eyes held knowledge beyond his years…_

A blush crept on the face of Alfred. At that time, he wondered if there was some seriousness to what Lovino said because the other student was stoned. The American didn't want to know what opiate or narcotic was used; he was better-off not knowing.

"Vargas."

"Hello, Jones."

Alfred laughed a little at how they acknowledged each other: using their last names. Never had they called each other _yet_ with their given name. The only good thing that came since that _awkward_ day, Lovino had not done any drugs. He was _normal_.

"Hey man, what you doing?"

"I'm trying to answer the damned chemistry homework. The library's too noisy and the school is like a factory of bitching students. I can't stand the noise."

The American also learned another thing: good looks aside, Lovino's uncouthness was a vital part of his language. Before, Alfred only saw the other cuss during the brief minutes before first period. As he spent more time with the other, somehow, the brunet found ways to insert profanity in his statements.

Maybe he could get a Guinness award for it… Alfred thinks as he walked and sat beside the Italian.

"A-, Jones… do, do you have a date for the ball?"

"Hm, I thought we were going out… I don't understand why I would-" before the American could continue, he saw how the other sharply turned his head to the opposite direction. "- get a date?"

"Okay, shut up. I get what you're saying!"

Alfred's laugh echoed throughout the desolate hall. Teasing Lovino was quite entertaining in its own way. It revealed a different side that only he was allowed to see. He never thought that he would actually go out with a guy but being with Lovino was _fun_ and the other guy was interesting, so there was no harm to it. Every day was like a learning experience.

Aside from that, it made him feel like _a hero_ who saved someone from the influence of _illegal substance_.

However some things are not meant to last forever…

**The Junkie**

High school was the last ring of hell for Lovino Vargas. It was cold and unfeeling despite how many people flock over to each other; despite how many cheered him on during a soccer game when he was about to make a goal; despite how he spends one night after the other with a different girl, woman, man wherein they shared heat emanating from their bodies; despite how he felt different things when he tries new variants of drugs (but not too much). That was how high school looked like for Lovino.

Every day was a chore; he drags his body out of the bed, waits for his younger brother inside the car and is driven off by the chauffer to the school.

The routine was grating on his nerves and by the time he arrives at school, it intensifies when his locker is loaded with letters from people he doesn't give a shit about and the notes would pile by his feet. He spouts blasphemies between Italian and English to blow off the edge. People would then give him weirded out stares and he would slam his locker's door before going to first period.

For the most part of his high school, he rarely paid any attention to the classes unless it was interesting. Among the few that passes his interest was music and arts, and a little bit of mathematics. P.E. was only interesting depending on the sport that they would be playing. There was a great disparity between his grades of these subjects and the other fields ranging from an A to a D. The Italian prided himself for never getting an F, repeating a year or taking remedial classes despite his laissez-faire attitude in learning.

Anyhow school was a drag. The only thing that made it bearable was soccer.

The school's program on the sport was relatively extensive and Lovino could indulge freely to his favorite sport. He loved how the grass would crunch beneath his spikes and the feel of the wind when he had to run from one end of the field to the other just to get that rolling black-and-white ball into the goal. Maybe sometimes, he did love how people would cheer him on; their eyes only trained on his movements and how sometimes his parents would watch his game, both swelling with pride because of his achievements.

After practice, he would seclude himself from the others. The only time he actually cooperates with his teammates was during the game and outside of it, he didn't make any pretension that he actually likes the bastards. Once he cleans himself up, he would go to the abandoned buildings at the old campus. His favorite spot was the auditorium. Underneath one of the once-luxurious seats was his hidden stash of weed or coke.

Hazel eyes watched as a puff of smoke went out of his mouth. His favorite hiding spot was the fifth row, sixth seat from the stage which held the best view for the empty platform. There was dramatic tone to the elevated area: the roof's been badly damaged and there were holes on it, giving a natural lighting to the space.

Thirty minutes later, he would casually stroll outside of the campus and ride a bus going home.

This routine was what he could only tolerate and learned to love and embrace.

In the Vargas home, a butler waited by the doorstep and took the things of Lovino while the student proceeds to the kitchen to get something to eat and sneak a glass and bottle of wine to his room. His father was a connoisseur of the drink and he collected several bottles. Lovino made sure to avoid the vintage ones and only get those that were _not exquisite_ to his father's standards.

Because of the enormous size of the house with only four family members and servants who outnumbered the owners, people rarely met each other in the hallways or wherever unless they want to. The brunet was all too happy with this kind of arrangement since it gave him privacy.

Inside the confines of his room, he took out a scalpel that was safely kept inside his mini-surgery kit. During his biology class some years ago, the teacher required each student to have their own kit. The blunt tool was precise in cutting its mark, literally, and that's how Lovino became enamored with the metallic object. Compared to a cutter which was a mess to clean up and would rust through time, the apparatuses he had were from the finest quality and he didn't have to worry about any rusting. He only made sure that he sterilizes the damned blade before and after using it.

As his fingers glazed over it, he realized that he didn't want to cut today.

Instead he crawled underneath his bed and he took out his stash of powdery white coke. Since his first OD, he avoided heroin like a plague despite how he preferred it over coke or Mary Jane. He had to be in the clear because if something like that happened again, it was a sure ball that he would be kicked out of the house and he had nowhere to go.

Each bedroom had its own bathroom and Lovino walked inside the white expanse of walls, lavatory, shower, tub and bottles of different kinds of toiletries. He locked the door, turned on the faucet and smoked his little _cannabis _with joy and satisfaction.

Lovino was rankled when his daily afternoon routine was shaken. He didn't expect that the prude English teacher had followed him to the auditorium and saw his illicit activities. The Italian expected that he would be ratted out but the blonde haired, green-eyed lecher wanted something else: sex. The bastard used what he saw as blackmail for momentary skin-to-skin contact.

At first, the student was repulsed not because the other was years ahead of him but because he was at the receiving end. He didn't want to submit to control because he was the MASTER when it came to fucking. The ladies loved it when the lips of the Italian whispered sweet nothings, making them shiver at the thought of eternal pleasure. The gents were more than willing to hear the endless tirade of mocking and humiliation they are told while being held gently. Lovino could make anyone surrender to him and beg on their knees that they be taken by him.

That's how he came to hate his afternoon routine. Somehow, he began to hate school altogether and the following day he entered late. He had woken up on time but he chose to go to the old campus and smoke some pot first. Until he was satisfied, it was already the third period and he didn't do his assignment. He took the liberty to copy from the obnoxious American seatmate he had.

Despite the haze, he was able to make some corrections on the work of the other.

That was Lovino's first time talking to Alfred F. Jones, whom he simply called Jones.

After that period, Lovino began to notice that they were also classmates in English but sadly they were several seats apart. The Italian hated it when his teacher gave him leering glances just like how the French and Spanish teacher did the previous school years. The world was conspiring against him.

Lovino was grateful that the day arrived when the English _cazzo _was returning to London, a dreary place in his opinion which perfectly suits the persona of the bastard. A sense of joy washed over him as he could go again with his normal afternoon routine. It was bliss.

The following days were like his usual routine: wake-up, school, soccer, drugs, home, drugs or cut, dinner, drugs, wine, sleep.

However on a particular afternoon during his afternoon session, he was very high when he was caught red-handed by Jones. Instead of being shy and meek, his reaction with the English _cazzo_, he was aggressive and seductive to the American. He had no fucking idea how the other ended up here but he didn't want a repeat of the time with the _cazzo_.

When Lovino was sober, the blond haired, blue-eyed youth didn't ask for sexual favors. They just spent time together afterschool at the auditorium. The Italian at one point tried to cajole the blonde into trying out weed but there was vehement rejection.

"_I'm applying for the military and I want to stay as clean as possible."_

Since then, Lovino tried to curb down his drug-tendencies, mainly doing it at home or not in the presence of Jones.

The Italian learned some things about Jones. The other student was set-on becoming a pilot for the Air Force and he wanted to be a hero.

"_I know that heroes are like those fancy fairytales but everyone can be a hero in their own little way!"_

It was ironic how polar opposites came to sit down together under one roof; a man who wanted to be a champion of the people and a man who was the scorn of the people. However, there was no awkwardness between them. They knew little things about each other but they DON'T really know each other that much.

Both avoided the topic on family.

This was the first thing that Lovino noticed. Jones was a blabbermouth about many topics but he never talked about his family or something more personal. The same goes for the Italian.

Lovino let it slide since it didn't matter. He enjoyed the other's company and he couldn't ask for more.

However there were bonds that were meant to be severed…

**THE HERO AND JUNKIE**

Graduation was a stifling event. Although it was already the 21st century, there were ceremonies that remained the same throughout the change of eras. It was a long and tedious event but when it was the over, the students rejoiced in happiness and are excited to go to where they plan or want to. Some were going on a vacation before heading off for college, there were those who were already preparing to immediately head-off for college while there were a few who were going to be stuck in the city working to earn a little extra cash for the family and let go of extravagant dreams of leaving the state.

There were people who were exceptions to the rules.

This day was not a day of celebration for Alfred and Lovino. From this day, they would be parted to each other for who knows how long. Since it was the Italian who initiated the relationship, he also broke it off. Well, he considered themselves as partners, not really lovers since they had never gone to dates unless their afterschool escapades counted.

Alfred was taken aback at the suddenness of it all. His mind had been in a daze for the past months. How they fumbled with each other after the senior's ball, making out inside the new car of Lovino. Their bodies were fervent with need; their kisses hungry for taste for the other; and how they rhythmically complimented each other without any effort. It was the day that the American youth lost his virginity and he was happy that it was with a person that he has grown to adore.

"_I really did like you."_

Before the Alfred could give his reply, the brunet dashed away. The blond just stood still and he only moved when his mobile phone was ringing incessantly.

Meanwhile Lovino went inside the car that became more than just a vehicle that he used for travel. His tear slowly fell down from his eyes, to his cheeks and the salty liquid landed on the steering wheel. He didn't expect that he actually might have fallen in love with the _idiot_. Nothing in this world comes for free and the price of loving was the ache of leaving and being left. When he lifted his gaze, he saw a frantic Alfred running and that was the last time that Lovino saw the other man.

Back to Alfred, the call he received was from the police. Their house was in ablaze and both his parents were in critical condition. The necessary immediate treatments have been applied to Mr. and Mrs. Jones so that they could be travelled to the nearest hospital and receive intensive care. When the young man arrived at his house, it was no longer recognizable.

His father was already en-route to the hospital but his mother's body just gave up moments ago. More than 90% of her body sustained third-degree burns. Alfred cried for his mother who was no longer with him. The charred body made her unidentifiable to how she looked like before: blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin. The youth got most of his physical attributes from her mother while his traits were from his father, a boisterous man like the beaming sun. It ached so much that he suddenly felt alone in this world.

He wondered if he had the right to call Lovino and tell him about his situation.

But his fingers froze as he was about to type for the number of the other person.

"Idiot, you should have told me before rushing here. I got a speeding ticket because of you damnit!"

Alfred hugged Lovino as both cried for the loss of the other.

Maybe some bonds were meant to stay after all. Even if one was a hero and the other was a junkie, both at the extreme ends of the scale of human morals, they will be walking side-by-side.

**Several years later… the junkie…**

Lovino had opened a small café. He came out his parents about his lifestyle and he received an earful scolding from his mother but his father stayed silent and only gave a nod and asked what he wanted to do with his life.

"_I want to be a decent person…"_

Lovino could remember how his mother's amber eyes were watery and she immediately hugged the young man. The youth also silently wept with his mother.

"_My little boy, how did you come with this decision?_"

"_A, A friend brought me to my senses…_"

"_If you think that the time is right, let us meet this friend._"

It was the first time that Lovino heard the kindness in his father's tone while being talked to.

Instead of spending years in college, Lovino Vargas was busy with cleansing his body and rediscovering himself.

After the fire incident with Alfred and the burial of Mrs. Jones, the American was in a stupor for days and Lovino took it upon himself to care for the other, be a pillar even though he might not be exactly qualified as such. By the time Mr. Jones was stable enough to be outside of the ICU, Lovino could see that Alfred was also slowly returning back to himself.

Before classes begin in fall, they parted temporarily to find out what it is that they should be doing with their lives. They didn't make any promise to each other and there was banter to cover-up their loneliness in their voice. However before they completely walked at the different parts of the crossroad, Alfred and Lovino said to each other:

"_One day, I'll tell you about myself._"

For Lovino, all of that was a distant memory. His youth was full of turmoil but in those dark pits, he met saw a brightness that led him out of the tunnel.

**Several years later… the hero…**

Alfred's life after the graduation was a blur. He could only remember bits and pieces of it. However, during the entire ordeal, he can never forget how Lovino stayed by his side, gently supporting him. The brunet helped him schedule and fix the burial of his mother. Hazel eyes were filled with compassion and this different side of Lovino made Alfred fall for the other more. It was not the right moment to tell his feelings but one day, he silently vowed to himself that he will tell the other how much his life changed.

Despite the goodness of his family, dark clouds always hang beside him. He began to admire Lovino who lived inside an abyss but battled them on face-on, like a proud soldier.

"_One day, I'll tell you about myself."_

It was not a promise that they should meet again and wait for each other. It was a simple statement that if they do happen to see each other again and still feel the same like how they did before they left the vast grounds of the academy, then they can talk about the things that they kept inside themselves.

The day may or may not come but Alfred hoped that it will. No, he will make it happen.

After several months of moping and counseling, Alfred began to straighten himself back to his older self. He went to the barber and but down the blond locks that were growing longer than they should be. He also had his face shaved clean and he bought a new suit. If he could not be a pilot, they he will be a man who will build the babies that will zoom through the azure expanse. For years, he struggled through college, juggling two part-time jobs, visiting his father and school. He didn't have time to fool around. So when he came through alive and he was a verified aerospace engineer, he began his search for Lovino.

With the internet and asking around old acquaintances, he found out that the man was operating a small café.

It took days for Alfred to find the courage to walk through the wooden glass door and start a conversation. When he did finally enter the quaint place, his mood was dampened because the man called-in sick. Well he cheered himself up by going to a diner and ordering a burger and fries plus soda. The meal was satisfying.

Instead of visiting again the café the following day, he waited for two days and he finally saw Lovino. Unlike the teenager who was flitting between sobrieties and being in a daze, the man before him was completely changed. The brunet was taking orders, usually to the ladies and made small talks with other customers, still the ladies. He still cussed to others but it was controlled and he was… more handsome than before. The last train of thought dusted the fair complexion of the American with rosiness. He berated himself and then entered inside the small place.

It was quaint ambient place. The chairs and tables were usually only for two people but at the back were long rectangular tables for customers who were in groups. The lighting was just-enough to allow those who were reading to see the words and letter without squinting. Quiet jazz music played in the background.

"About time you visited me bastard. You looked like a stalker while standing outside."

Alfred laughed as he heard again that voice that was his constant companion during those languid afternoons.

-x-

A/N:

Thank you for taking your time to read this story. I made myself sit down and write something for Romerica. This is my first time writing for the pairing and I'm a bit happy about how this turned out. Well I hope you leave a review or constructive criticism. Flames will be used to keep me warm!

Have a good day.


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